Water inlet fitting



March 8, 1966 w, N JR 3,239,149

WATER INLET FITTING Filed Sept. 1]., 1963 FIG.1 o

F I G. 2

( 1 l I I6 I u 8 |llI I I l H I2 I y INVENTOR ALBERT W. LINDBERG JR.

HIS ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,239,149 WATER INLET FITTING Albert W. Lindberg, Jr., 126 W. 6th St., Bayonne, NJ.

Filed Sept. 11, 1963, Ser. No. 308,155

3 Claims. (Cl. 239-203) This invention relates to a water inlet for swimming pools and relates more particularly to a novel water inlet fitting which may be installed in the bottom wall of the pool, or in the side wall thereof, and which provides directional flow .for the water in self-cleaningpool systems.

An important object of the invention is to provide a water inlet fitting for swimming pools which has a hollow screw cap mounted in a body section, the cap being provided with a side wall slot through which the water passes and by rotating the cap to an adjusted position, definite water patterns can be set up on the pool floor, moving all the dirt and other solids on the floor into one area where they can be picked up by a pool vacuum cleaner. The upper wall of the body section has a contoured surface which is curved slightly upwardly forming a baflle to deflect the water from the slot upwardly. When the screw cap is raised to a point where the side wall slot is above the contoured surface, the jet stream of water moves out laterally in a horizontal direction generally parallel with the pool floor. As the cap is screwed further inwardly to a point where the slot in the cap is below the rim of the annular baflle surface, the jet stream strikes this surface and is deflected upwardly, thus causing the solids to leave the floor of the pool and move upwardly in suspension to be removed by a manual or automatic surface skimmer.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means for effecting a water seal between the cap and the body section.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a central vertical section taken through the fluid inlet of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the cap.

The water inlet of the present invention comprises a cap 10 which is received in a body section 11, vertical adjustment of the cap being effected by screw means. The cap may comprise a one-piece casting and has a cylindrical shank 12 and an annular flange or lip 14 of greater diameter than the shank. At the upper end of the latter where it joins the cap, there is an arcuate slot 16 through which the water passes.

On its outer periphery, the shank has an annular recess 18 which receives an O ring 19 which projects outwardly from such outer periphery to form a seal between the cap and the body section. The body section is also a one-piece casting having a central through bore 20, at the upper end of which is an upwardly and outwardly extending annular face 21 which is concavely curved in cross section and which forms a bafile to direct the water upwardly from slot 16 when the cap has been screwed inwardly a sufiicient distance to position the slot below the upper rim 22 of this annular face.

At its lower end, the central bore 20 is threaded at 24 to be received on a threaded pipe (not shown) and between the upper and lower sections there is an enlarged section 26 which receives in fixed relation a cross bar 28 having a threaded hole 29 to receive a threaded pin 30 carried in an unthreaded hole 31 in the center of cap 10. This hole is countersunk to receive the head 32 of the threaded pin. The pin is secured against removal from the cap by a cotter key 34 which engages a washer 36. The cap is thus freely rotatable relative to the pin.

The cross bar is sufiiciently narrow as not to impair wrench receiving section 38.

the efficiency of .the water way. This cross bar may, if desired, be cast integrally with the body section. Midway between the ends of the body section, there is a It will also be noted that the diameter of the annular face '21 is greater than the outer diameter of this body section. The diameter of the cylindrical shank or collar 12 is only slightly less than the diameter of bore 20 and when the cap is screwed in sufiiciently far to cause the O ring to enter bore 20 the O ring forms an effective seal between the cap and the body section. By preventing any leakage between the body section and the collar of the .cap the full jet action of the water issuing from the opening will be assured.

Thelength of slot 16 is a matter of choice and in some instances it may be formed in two or more sections and extend around substantially the full periphery of the cap. For most purposes, however, it should extend over an arc of about The cross sectional area of the opening will always be less than the area of the water way so as to assure a jet action of the water and hence the eifective cleaning action earlier referred to.

Broken lines in FIG. 1 indicate the floor level of the pool and rim 22 is flush with this floor so that nothing projects above the floor except the cap. While the inlet fitting of the present invention is designed primarily for installation in the floor of a pool, it may nevertheless be installed in a side wall thereof and it may have other uses as well where a controlled pattern of fluid discharge is desired.

While there have been described herein what are at present considered preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the essence of the invention. It is therefore to be understood that the exemplary embodiments are illustrative and not restrictive of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims, and that all modifications that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be included therein.

What I claim is:

1. A fluid discharge fitting for attachment to a fluid source and including a cap provided with a downwardly extending cylindrical collar and a body section having a through bore which receives the collar in movable relation, the cap having an annular flange extending beyond the collar, said collar having an arcuate through slot below the flange for fluid discharge, the upper end of the body section having an enlarged face with an upper annular rim and forming a baflle which is upwardly inclined in cross section to direct fluid upwardly from the arcuate slot when the latter is positioned below said upper rim, the body having a cross bar with a threaded opening, and a threaded pin carried by the cap positioned in said threaded opening, the cap being movable upwardly to a point where fluid may discharge horizontally from. the arcuate slot without contacting said face.

2. An inlet for a swimming pool or the like and including a cap provided with a downwardly extending cylindrical collar and a body section having a through bore which receives the collar in movable relation, the cap having an annular flange extending beyond the collar, the collar having an arcuate through slot just below the flange for water discharge, sealing means disposed between the body section and the collar, the upper end of the body section having an enlarged face forming a bafile which is upwardly inclined in cross section towards an outer rim to direct water upwardly from thearcuate slot when the latter is positioned below said upper rim, the body having a cross bar with a threaded opening, and a threaded pin carried by the cap positioned in said 3 threaded opening, the cap being movable upwardly to a point where water may discharge horizontally from the arcuate slot without contacting said face.

3. A bottom inlet for a swimming pool or the like and including a cap provided with a downwardly extending cylindrical collar and a body section having a through bore which receives the collar in movable relation, the cap having an annular flange extending beyond the collar, said collar having an arcuate through slot just below the flange for water discharge and an annular slot below the arcuate slot, and an O ring positioned in the latter slot to effect a sealing action between the collar and the body section, the upper end of the body section having an enlarged face forming a balfie which is upwardly and outwardly curved in cross section to direct water up- 15 the pin being mounted .for free rotation relative to the cap, the cap being movable upwardly to a point where water may discharge horizontally from the arcuate slot without contacting said face.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 528,252 10/1894 Haberle 239513 1,492,941 5/1924 Sherman et al. 239201 1,995,962 3/1935 Clark 239203 X 3,045,829 7/1962 Rule et a1 210169 FOREIGN PATENTS 486,544 11/ 1929 Germany.

M. HENSON WOOD, JR., Primary Examiner.

V. C. WILKS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A FLUID DISCHARGE FITTING FOR ATTACHMENT TO A FLUID SOURCE AND INCLUDING A CAP PROVIDED WITH A DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING CYLINDRICAL COLLAR AND A BODY SECTION HAVING A THROUGH BORE WHICH RECEIVES THE COLLAR IN MOVABLE RELATION, THE CAP HAVING AN ANNULAR FLANGE EXTENDING BEYOND THE COLLAR, SAID COLLAR HAVING AN ARCUATE THROUGH SLOT BELOW THE FLANGE FOR FLUID DISCHARGE, THE UPPER END OF THE BODY SECTION HAVING AN ENLARGED FACE WITH AN UPPER ANNULAR RIM AND FORMING A BAFFLE WHICH IS UPWARDLY INCLINED IN CROSS SECTION TO DIRECT FLUID UPWARDLY FROM THE ARCUATE SLOT WHEN THE LATTER IS POSITIONED BELOW SAID UPPER RIM, THE BODY HAVING A CROSS BAR WITH A THREADED OPENING, AND A THREADED PIN CARRIED BY THE CAP POSITIONED IN SAID THREADED OPENING, THE CAP BEING MOVABLE UPWARDLY TO A POINT WHERE FLUID MAY DISCHARGE HORIZONTALLY FROM THE ARCUATE SLOT WITHOUT CONTACTING SAID FACE. 